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Product Library · Last updated 2026-05-21

Rice

Rice, a measuring cup, and a bowl of cooked white rice on a kitchen counter

Every piece of advice below comes from official tests, consumer test reports, or publicly available data from international food-safety bodies. Click the links to check the original sources.

How to tell if this affects your family

  • Heavy metals in rice — such as arsenic and cadmium — are invisible and tasteless. The best way to manage the risk is through a varied diet.[1][2]
  • Babies and young children who eat rice porridge or congee regularly consume proportionally more rice relative to their body weight — worth keeping in mind.[3]
  • Red rice and brown rice still have their bran layer intact, so inorganic arsenic levels tend to be slightly higher than in white rice.[2][4]

What you can do today

  • [Most effective: overnight soak + excess water method] Soak rice in water overnight. The next day, rinse until the water runs clear, then cook using a 5-to-1 water-to-rice ratio and drain the excess water when done. Professor Andy Meharg of Queen's University Belfast demonstrated on BBC's Trust Me, I'm A Doctor that this method can reduce inorganic arsenic by around 80%.[5]
  • [No time to soak: 5-to-1 water method] Cook with a 5-to-1 water-to-rice ratio and drain the excess water when done (don't let it absorb fully) — the same BBC experiment showed this reduces inorganic arsenic by around 50%.[5]
  • [Quick version: PBA parboil method (5 minutes)] Add rice to already-boiling water, parboil for 5 minutes, drain all the water (along with the dissolved arsenic), then add fresh water and cook on low heat until absorbed. Dr Menon of the University of Sheffield's 2020 study found this reduces inorganic arsenic by 74% in white rice and over half in brown rice — with mineral nutrients largely retained.[6][7]
  • The traditional absorption method — 2 cups water to 1 cup rice, no draining — leaves arsenic in the cooked grain. Any of the above methods will at least drain away some of the dissolved arsenic.[5]
  • Keep a varied diet. Don't eat rice at every single meal — swap in noodles, quinoa, oats, and other grains from time to time.[2][8]

What to look for next time you shop

  • Heavy metal levels vary by origin and variety, so don't stick to just one brand or type of rice — rotate.[4]
  • When choosing cereal for babies, consider rotating in oat, barley, or multigrain options alongside rice-based ones.[8][9]
  • Research suggests that white rice grown in California, India, and Pakistan (especially Basmati) and US sushi rice tends to have lower inorganic arsenic levels.[4]

Reference standards

  • US FDA action level for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal — The US FDA set an action level of 100 ppb for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereals (in effect from 2020). No equivalent limit currently exists for other infant food categories. Official source

Sources

Every piece of advice above corresponds to one or more of the sources below. Any parent can click through to check the original.

  1. [1] Centre for Food Safety Food Alerts · cfs.gov.hk/english/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fsf_133_02.html
  2. [2] Centre for Food Safety Food Alerts · cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_firm/files/Report_on_the_first_HKTDS_Inorganic_Arsenic_e.pdf
  3. [3] U.S. FDA Recalls, Market Withdrawals, and Safety Alerts · fda.gov/food/chemical-metals-natural-toxins-pesticides-guidance-documents-regulations/supporting-document-action-level-inorganic-arsenic-rice-cereals-infants
  4. [4] Consumer Reports (consumerreports.org) · consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much-arsenic-is-in-your-rice/index.htm
  5. [5] BBC Two — Trust Me, I'm A Doctor · bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04j9gny
  6. [6] University of Sheffield — Institute for Sustainable Food · sheffield.ac.uk/sustainable-food/news/new-way-cooking-rice-removes-arsenic-and-retains-mineral-nutrients-study-shows
  7. [7] Science of the Total Environment (Elsevier) · sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720368728
  8. [8] U.S. FDA Recalls, Market Withdrawals, and Safety Alerts · fda.gov/food/risk-and-safety-assessments-food/arsenic-rice-and-rice-products-risk-assessment
  9. [9] Consumer Reports (consumerreports.org) · consumerreports.org/arsenic-in-food/infant-rice-cereal-has-worrying-levels-of-arsenic-new-study-shows/

Want to see the full test results?

This month's feature article breaks down the complete brand list from the Consumer Council's 2020 test of 77 crunchy snacks.

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